


Elysium

by VerdiWithin



Series: Talisman [4]
Category: Lore Olympus (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming of Age, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20928188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VerdiWithin/pseuds/VerdiWithin
Summary: Persephone's starting her first big project at Underworld Corp.





	Elysium

**Author's Note:**

> Previously in this series: Hades broke up with Minthe. Persephone comforted him, told him a story, and loaned him her good-luck charm. Persephone realized that child shades don't have the same chance at an afterlife that regular shades do, and proposed a new policy for rebirth. As part of his plan to get Psyche back, Eros is trying to start a business as a personal stylist.

**Persephone**

I survey the Underworld Corporation boardroom from the safety of the corridor. No one else has arrived yet. I wipe my sweaty palms and try to slow my breathing, but my racing heartbeat is a lost cause. I  _ hate _ feeling like this. At least this time I don’t feel like throwing up--probably because I skipped lunch to give myself more time to prepare. I’ve got this. Just don’t let my hair grow! Listen up, stupid hair, no growing today!

I look through my notes one more time, reviewing some of the tougher spots. Keep it slow. Make eye contact. Just like rehearsal. I can do this. I scan the room again. Not so large that I’ll need a mic, just the right size, really. Twenty-three people. I know most of them. I can do this. I go through some relaxation exercises: rolling my shoulders, breathing slowly, and trying to visualize a successful outcome. 

What would that look like? Everybody smiling and nodding. Oh heck, make them all applaud! There we go. And Hades… what would he do? I pause my mental picture and glance around. There’s no one in sight. Hmmm, I guess he might… shake my hand? Blech. I can do better than that. I dive deeper into the daydream, picturing Hades approaching me after I finish a  _ spectacular _ presentation. Then he… he… takes me in his arms-- I melt right into the fantasy that’s never far from my mind. Hades, holding me tenderly, looking deep into my eyes, kissing me--softly at first, then more and more intensely. The setting is no longer the boardroom, but--a bedroom? Nope, too much! Make it a living room. That’s better. Okay, kissing…

“Hey, what are you doing?” says a deep, velvety voice behind me.

Of  _ course _ it’s him. My cringe brings my shoulders right up to my ears, which are burning hot. “Oh hi!” I squeak. “I’m just fantasizing.” Why did I say  _ that _ ? “You know, visualizing everything coming out well?” 

Hades tilts his head quizzically, raises his eyebrows, and gives me a half smile. “From the hallway? Why don’t you go in? Try out the podium.” He sweeps his arm toward the focal point of the boardroom. “Come on, it doesn’t bite!” 

I follow Hades to the podium and listen to him describing the setup. I actually did a full dress rehearsal by myself last night, but I don’t mind if he wants to double-check. I like his voice, and watching him move.

“You can use this, if you like.” Hades holds up a laser pointer and demonstrates it, swirling its blue dot around on the ceiling. He pauses and looks mock-stern, his brows lowered and his eyes glowing. “I know it’s tempting, but please don’t tease Thanatos with the laser pointer. The last person who did that…” He mimes cutting his throat, and I giggle.

Two employees come in, and carefully ignore us. They take seats halfway down the table, continuing their conversation. Oh, boy. Here we go. My heart starts hammering again, destroying the calm that came over me while listening to Hades. 

He notices my agitation. “Why are you so nervous? You’ve already pitched your idea to me. I’m sold. You worked it over with Hecate, you vetted it with Finance. It’s great, and it’s going to happen. All you’re doing today is informing all these people about a new project.” He gives a little wave toward the executives who are now trickling into the room.

“I know. I don’t know why I get like this.” I take a shaky breath, put my notes down on the podium, and smooth my dress. Suddenly I’m doubting my choice of clothes. Is this dress too tight? I still say it’s too low-cut for the office. “Do I look okay?” I blurt. 

Hades is apparently taken aback by the question. His brows shoot up and his mouth opens slightly. He doesn’t answer immediately. Oh no, it’s all wrong! I should never have listened to Eros! 

Hades takes half a step back, puts his hands in his pockets, and looks me over. His expression is the sort of judicious look he wears in the courtroom. “Actually, you look fantastic,” he says. I feel hot and cold all over, and control a quiver with difficulty. For a moment I picture grabbing him and running away from this place. Finding somewhere private. I  _ need _ to feel his hands on me.

“I know what you need,” he continues, smiling down at me. He holds out his hand to me, behind the podium, so no one else can see. “Here.” In his hand rests my little black stone. 

“Oh! Ione’s… um, Ione’s Eye! Thank you!” I grin in delight. Having my old good luck charm is exactly what I need. And he carries it around in his pocket! I take it from him, giving his hand a little squeeze in gratitude. “I can do this. Don’t worry.” I smile, suddenly finding my confidence.

“I know you can.” Hades gives me a nod and a smile, and turns away to walk to his place. I watch his retreat, enjoying the view. Nope, don’t get started! As he passes, conversations come to a halt and the waiting executives settle down. Hecate and Thanatos slip into the room and quickly take their seats. Hades sits down at the far end of the table, and seeing that he has everyone’s attention, makes a take-it-away gesture to me.

Keep it slow. Deep breaths. Eye contact. I can do this. “Good afternoon, everyone,” I begin, locking eyes with Hades. “Thank you for coming. Today, I’d like to introduce you to the Elysium Project.” He smiles at me and I feel like I’m flying.

**Hades**

I stand with Hecate, waiting my turn. Other employees are crowded around Persephone, asking questions about her presentation, or simply praising the work she did. “These people are just trying to get some of her success to rub off on them,” I mutter.

Hecate snorts. “Forever the cynic, aren’t you?”

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

She shakes her head. “A few of them are certainly world-class sycophants, and they know a rising star when they see one. But I’d say most of them see that it’s an innovative idea, and they’re excited.”

“They just want a place at the feeding trough.”

“Fine, have it your way,” she rolls her eyes at me. A small clot of people departs, leaving a gap near Persephone. Hecate strides over to congratulate the young goddess. “Great job, honey! I have to run to another meeting now, but I’ll talk to you later about next steps, all right?”

The remaining subordinates take Hecate’s hint and disperse to their next meetings. Left alone, I’m delighted to have all of Persephone’s attention to myself. She grins at me, and I can’t help grinning back. I knew she’d be brilliant.

“You were amazing, Kore. You had everyone in the palm of your hand!”

“Even Thanatos? He’s not my biggest fan,” she asks with a mischievous glint.

“Ugh, who cares about Thanatos?” I wave a hand, dismissing all thoughts of the God of Death. “Would you like to see the space I picked out for Elysium?”

“Oh!” she cries. In her excitement, tiny blue flowers begin to appear in her hair, like stars. “You found something already?”

“Uh-huh. It fits your specifications, and it’s isolated, so that’s a bonus for security. It’s a giant cave system formed by a lava flow that hardened into a thick surface crust and then… oh, sorry. You don’t need to hear me yammering on about volcanic rock formations.”

Persephone laughs. “I don’t mind. Sometime you’ll have to listen to me babble about pollination mechanisms in entomophilous plants.”

I grin back. “Fair enough.”

“So if the space is isolated, how do we get to it?”

“That’s the next step: establishing a portal to it. I was thinking of making it in Tower Two.”

“Really? Can I watch?” She’s glowing with eagerness, and the flowers in her hair grow thicker.

I have to remind myself that she’s excited about the project, and not about me.  _ “ _ Sure. I can’t promise it’ll be all that interesting, though.”  We leave the room and walk together towards the elevators. “So why were you so nervous? Clearly you did a ton of rehearsal.”

“Oh, I always get like that. Probably if I did it more often I’d get over my nerves.”

“You’ve done public speaking before?”

“Sure, I did speech and debate competitions. I’m actually a two-time all-Olympus junior champion.” Persephone makes air quotes with her fingers and rolls her eyes in self-deprecation.

“That’s not on your transcript! How did you find the time with all the swimming and math and chess?”

“Oh yeah. I’ve been meaning to speak to Hera--that application form is  _ way _ too short.” Her smile is impish and challenging.

“You’re right,” I say solemnly. “There was no room for the spelling bees. I need to know more about the spelling bees!”

“You’re never going to let that go, are you?” _ _

I only wish I never had to let  _ her _ go.

**Persephone**

The new portal reminds me of the entrance to Tartarus. I shiver. This one isn’t nearly so ominous, or so cold and dark, but the security features and the ‘Restricted Access’ sign are the same. 

“At the moment, there’s nothing on the other side,” explains Hades. “Obviously the space itself isn’t _here_, any more than Tartarus is located in Tower 4.”

“Right, I get that. So how do you hook it up?”

“It’s part of my connection to the Underworld; I just sort of  _ will _ it into existence. It’s kind of tricky, really.” Hades waves his hands vaguely, trying to articulate an idea that doesn’t exist in words.

“It’s not dangerous, is it?” I ask anxiously.

“No, no. Just a bit convoluted.”

Gravely, I hand him the black stone. “For luck,” I say.

Hades smiles, turning the stone in his hand. “Thanks.” He takes a step back and composes himself: breathing slowly, eyes half-closing.

I watch, fascinated. After a moment, his eyes open wide, but they’re blank, silvery and glowing. His breathing is shallow and it’s obvious that he is elsewhere. I can’t tear my eyes from him; I long to approach and touch him, run my fingers through his hair, but I can’t move. I inhale and catch a faint hint of his scent: smoke and cedar, snow and soil. His hands are twitching slightly, like a sleeping dog. I smile.

Hades inhales sharply and blinks, coming back to himself. He catches my smile. “What? Did I look demented?” 

I shake my head, not trusting my voice.

**Hades**

We step through the portal together. “Careful,” I say. “The ground’s pretty choppy.” I offer my arm and I’m pleased when she takes it. The dim light reveals a space so large that it doesn’t seem enclosed at all. The ground stretches away in a series of rolling hills and dips. Everything is black rock and grayish dirt. Persephone leads us a distance from the portal, climbing a small hill for a better view.

She’s not saying anything. This is bad. I’d really only considered the necessary volume of space and the need for security. I didn’t think about what it would look like to a young goddess who is used to the beauties of Olympus and Sicily. This charmless place has no color, no softness, not even a breeze. It isn’t fair to ask her to work with this!

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t think about what it would look like. This is terrible.”

Persephone raises her brows in surprise. “It’s a cave. How else should it look?”

“It’s bleak. Desolate. It’s too much to ask--” I stop short when she lets go of my arm. 

She crouches down and digs her hands into the loose dust and pebbles. “Volcanic,” she appraises. “They say volcanic soil is some of the most fertile.” She straightens up again, and shows me the handful of soil. Her eyes narrow, and a thin green shoot sprouts from the dirt. It stretches and thickens, grows pointed leaves, and finally, delicate white petals edged with pink. Persephone’s smile blossoms, deliberate and certain. “I can work with this.” 

  
  



End file.
